Hydraulic stabilizer for boat steering



RIG. BRETZ 0mm OOm vINVENTOF? RUSSEL G. BRETZ BY%% Filed Sept. 12, 1966 Om i w@ HYDRAULIC STABILIZER FOR BOAT STEERING \WOW OOW NOW March 26, 1968 United States Patent 3,374,761 HYDRAULIC STABILIZER FGR BOAT STEERING Russell G. Br'etz, ()maha, Nebr., assignor to Wave Crest Corporation, a corporation of Nebraska Filed Sept. 12, 1966, Ser. No. 588,652 4 Claims. (Cl. 114-150) This invention relates to the steering of boats for hinging or pivoting steering elements such as rudders or motors of a type which have a directable propeller, as is the case with all common outboard motorboat motors.

A particular object of this invention is to provide a hydraulic stabilizer and control for the controllable steering element of such a boat, the stabilizer serving to lock the steering element in position at any time steering cables attached to the stabilizer are not being pulled.

In this way, the stabilizer has the tendency to hold a boat on its course at times when its steering Wheel has been released by the helmsman.

More particularly it is an object of this invention to provide a hydraulic stabilizer and control as described which has a pair of hydraulic cylinders and in which means attaching the inner ends of each cylinder indirectly to the steering element and in which means attaching the outer ends of each cylinder to anchor points on the boat, are both sufliciently flexible as to permit a movement of the controllable steering element sufliciently for effective control of the steering of the boat.

Still another object is to provide a hydraulic stabilizer as described in which the means for attaching the inner and outer ends of each cylinder assembly comprise ball and socket joints for permitting the hydraulic cylinder to extend in various positions inclining upwardly, downwardly, forwardly, or rearwardly from their inner ends to their outer ends.

Particularly it is an object of this invention to provide, .pivotal mounting means for the cylinder assemblies of the hydraulic stabilizer which allow the hydraulic cylinders to be placed in suificient difierent operative positions as described that it is possible to install the stabilizer without cutting holes in the water-well at the back of a boat. This is important because otherwise the function of the water-well for retaining water is lost and whenever the boat slows down water falling into the water-well would tend to leak out through the openings into the boat, as has been the condition of the prior art before this invention was conceived.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a frontal elevation of the hydraulic stabilizer of this invention shown as attached to the transom of a boat, and as attached to an outboard motor, parts of the boat, motor, and stabilizer being broken away for convenience of illustration.

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the stabilizer of FIGURE 1 shown attached to boat and motor with parts of the boat and motor stabilizer broken away.

The hydraulic stabilizer and control assembly of this invention is generally indicated at in FIGURE 1 and is adapted to be attached to a boat 12 having a transom 14 and water-well sides 16.

An outboard motor generally indicated at is pivotally mounted on the transom 14 in a conventional manner by means not shown.

An upper forward side of the motor 20 is attached by suitable means to a rearward side 34 of the frame of the hydraulic stabilizer and control assembly of this invention as is generally indicated at 50. As the outboard motor 20 has a propeller adapted for normally directing a thrust rearwardly for propelling the boat forwardly, the rotation or twisting of the motor about an axis extending vertically at approximately the center of the transom 14 will cause the boat 12 to be turned to one side or the other in a conventional manner. Because of this, the motor 20 can also be referred to as a steering element 20 in the same sense that the rudder of a ship is a steering element pivotally mounted on the ship.

In accordance with this invention, a valve generally indicated at is provided, the valve 60 having a controllable member 62 movably mounted on the frame 40 or movably mounted with respect to the frame 40 and adapted to engage a sliding member slidably mounted between parts 72 of the frame 40 for pressing the sliding member 70 into a position for compressing and closing a hose or passageway forming means at times. The hydraulic stabilizer assembly 10 further has a valve control rod having openings 92 therethrough which are spaced apart, the openings 92 serving to receive the end loops 98 of a pair of steering cables 100 of a conventional and suitable outboard motorboat steering system.

End portions of the rod 90, in areas surrounding the openings 92, serve to provide spaced means 11 for spaced end portions 110 to which the control cable ends or loops 9% can be attached.

The rod 90 is slidably mounted in the valve frame 40 for sliding to the right or to the left of the boat 12.

Spring assemblies can also be called means 120 for continually urging each of the spaced means 110' into positions for causing a notch receiving a forward end of the controllable member 62 to be urged into a central position, whereby it is disposed at a right angle to the elongated rod 90 for exerting a maximum pressure on the sliding member 70 so as to maintain the hose 80 in a closed or squeezed condition, or in other words, the spring assemblies 120 tend to cause the controllable member 62 to be disposed in a position for closing the passageway through the passageway forming means or hose 80.

A pair of elongated hydraulic cylinder assemblies generally indicated at 170 are provided and the elongated cylinder assemblies 170 are attached to the frame 40 by suitable means such as ball and socket joints 174 for providing a flexability.

Mounting brackets 200 receiving bolts 202 are anchored to the transom 14 by the bolts 202.

The brackets 260 are attached to outer ends of the hydraulic cylinder assemblies 170 by ball and socket joint units 230 and the hydraulic cylinder assemblies 170 extend generally in opposite directions to the right and left from the frame 49, the assemblies 170 extending, when seen in top plan view, preferably approximately in parallelism with a line extending through the spaced means 119. However, it will be seen that the cylinder assemblies 170 can extend downwardly at their outer ends, or upwardly or forwardly or rearwardly, with respect to their inner ends. Each of the assemblies 170 has a single port fitting or port means 240 connected to one of the hydraulic cylinder assemblies 170, and the port means 240 are each connected to a difierent one of the ends of the hose 8t].

Fluid is disposed in the cylinders 17 0 and in the passageway through the hose 80 and the cylinder assemblies 170 are so constructed that the fluid flows from one of the cylinders 170 to the other whenever one of the cylinders is shortened and the other lengthened by a movement of the frame 40 toward the shortened cylinder, as will occur whenever a cable is pulled, such pulling having the first effect of causing the member 62 to be disposed at other than a right angle with respect to the rod 90 as will open the passageway 80, and then having the second effect in that further pulling in the same direction will compress the spring 120 on the opposite side enough to increase its pressure such that the entire frame 49 and the motor to which it is attached will be pulled in the 'the hose 80 from the sliding member 70, and the plate 250 is positioned by adjustment screws 260 to a preferred position.

Limit pins 360 are provided on the plunger portion 310 of each hydraulic cylinder assembly 170. The pins 300 are so placed that they tend to limit the outward movement of the sleeve portion 320 of each hydraulic cylinder assembly so that a sleeve 320 cannot move out on its plunger 310 beyond a certain limit suflicient for permitting effective steering control of the boat, but the pins 300 tend to' maintain the parts of the hydraulic cylinders in operative relationship by not permitting the motor to rotate them excessively far.

It is important that the means anchoring the outer ends of the cylinder assemblies, which can be called a means 350, comprising in combination the anchoring brackets 200 and the universal joints 230, be of a certain amount of flexibility.

It is important that the anchoring means 350 anchoring the outer end of each cylinder assembly and the means 174 attaching the inner ends of each cylinder assembly to the frame together form attachments sufficiently flexible as to permit a movement of the frame 40 sufliciently for effective control of steering of the boat; furthermore, this flexibility should be suflicient as to permit the cylinders 170 to be positioned with respect to the inner ends thereof upwardly or downwardly therefrom, or forwardly or rearwardly therefrom, or any combination of relative vertical and forward and rearward positions. In this Way, the outer ends 310 of the hydraulic cylinders will be positionable so as to make it unnecessary to cut holes in the water-well of most boats in order to properly position the outer ends of the cylinders 170 for permitting movement of the frame 40 sufliciently for effective control of the steering of the boat.

As thus described, it will be seen that this invention will fulfill the objectives above set forth.

From the foregoing description, it is thought to be obvious that a hydraulic stabilizer for boat steering constructed in accordance with my invention is particularly well adapted for use, by reason of the convenience and facility with which it may be assembled and operated, and it will also be obvious that my invention can be changed and modified without departing from the principles and spirit thereof, and for this reason, I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the precise arrangement and formation of the several parts herein shown in carrying out my invention in practice, except as claimed.

I claim:

1. In combination: a boat, a controllable steering element mounted pivotallyon said boat, a hydraulic stabilizer and control comprising a frame attached to said steering element, a valve attached to said frame and having two ports and having means forming a passageway between said ports, said valve having a controllable member movably mounted on said frame and operably correlated with said passageway forming means for closing said passageway at times and for opening said passageway at other times, spaced means to which control cable ends can be attached, means operably correlating said spaced means and said controllable member whereby when either one of said spaced means is pulled in a direction away from the other spaced means said controllable member is moved in a direction for opening said passageway, and means continually urging each of said spaced means into positions for causing said controllable member to be moved into a position for closing said passageway, a pair of elongated hydraulic cylinder assemblies, means attaching inner ends of said cylinder assembliesto said frame, means anchoring outer ends of said cylinder assemblies to said boat, said elongated assemblies extending generally in opposite directions approximately in parallelism with a line extending through said spaced means, each of said assemblies having a single port connected to one of said two valve ports, fluid in said cylinders and said passageway, and said cylinders being so constructed that said fluid flows from one of said cylinders to the other whenever one of said cylinders is shortened and the other lengthened by a movement of said frame toward the shortened cylinder, said means anchoring the outer end of each said cylinder assembly and the said means attaching the inner ends of each cyl- V inder assembly to said frame together forming attachments sufficiently flexible as to permit a movement of said frame sufficiently for effective control of the steering of said boat.

2. The combination of claim 1 in which the means anchoring the outer end of each cylinder assembly and the means attaching the inner ends of each cylinder assembly each have universal joint means therein for providing the said sufliciently flexible attachments.

3. The combination of claim 1 in which the said means anchoring said cylinder assemblies to said boat are disposed on the inside of said water well housing of said boat.

4. The combination of claim 1 in which said passageway forming means connects to said cylinder assemblies on the sides thereof and the said means attaching the inner ends of each cylinder assembly to said frame being disposed directly at the ends of each cylinder assembly and substantially in alignment with the elongation thereof respectively.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,384,201 9/1945 Simpson 74469 2,916,008 12/1959 Bauer l1518 3,228,632 l/l966 Hunth 24483 ANDREW H. FARRELL, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN COMBINATION: A BOAT, A CONTROLLABLE STEERING ELEMENT MOUNTED PIVOTALLY ON SAID BOAT, A HYDRAULIC STABILIZER AND CONTROL COMPRISING A FRAME ATTACHED TO SAID STEERING ELEMENT, A VALVE ATTACHED TO SAID FRAME AND HAVING TWO PORTS AND HAVING MEANS FORMING A PASSAGEWAY BETWEEN SAID PORTS, SAID VALVE HAVING A CONTROLLABLE MEMBER MOVABLY MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME AND OPERABLY CORRELATED WITH SAID PASSAGEWAY FORMING MEANS FOR CLOSING SAID PASSAGEWAY AT TIMES AND FOR OPENING SAID PASSAGEWAY AT OTHER TIMES, SPACED MEANS TO WHICH CONTROL CABLE ENDS CAN BE ATTACHED, MEANS OPERABLY CORRELATING SAID SPACED MEANS AND SAID CONTROLLABLE MEMBER WHEREBY WHEN EITHER ONE OF SAID SPACED MEANS IS PULLED IN A DIRECTION AWAY FROM THE OTHER SPACED MEANS SAID CONTROLLABLE MEMBER IS MOVED IN A DIRECTION FOR OPENING SAID PASSAGEWAY, AND MEANS CONTINUALLY URGING EACH OF SAID SPACED MEANS INTO POSITIONS FOR CAUSING SAID CONTROLLABLE MEMBER TO BE MOVED INTO A POSITION FOR CLOSING SAID PASSAGEWAY, A PAIR OF ELONGATED HYDRAULIC CYLINDER ASSEMBLIES, MEANS ATTACHING INNER ENDS OF SAID CYLINDER ASSEMBLIES TO SAID FRAME, MEANS ANCHORING OUTER ENDS OF SAID CYLINDER ASSEMBLIES TO SAID BOAT, SAID ELONGATED ASSEMBLIES EXTENDING GENERALLY IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS APPROXIMATELY IN PARALLELISM WITH A LINE EXTENDING THROUGH SAID SPACED MEANS, EACH OF SAID ASSEMBLIES HAVING A SINGLE PORT CONNECTED TO ONE OF SAID TWO VALVE PORTS FLUID IN SAID CYLINDERS AND SAID PASSAGEWAY, AND SAID CYLINDERS BEING SO CONSTRUCTED THAT SAID FLUID FLOWS FROM ONE OF SAID CYLINDERS TO THE OTHER WHENEVER ONE OF SAID CYLINDERS IS SHORTENED AND THE OTHER LENGTHENED BY A MOVEMENT OF SAID FRAME TOWARD THE SHORTENED CYLINDER, SAID MEANS ANCHORING THE OUTER END OF EACH SAID CYLINDER ASSEMBLY AND THE SAID MEANS ATTACHING THE INNNER ENDS OF EACH CYLINDER ASSEMBLY TO SAID FRAME TOGETHER FORMING ATTACHMENTS SUFFICIENTLY FLEXIBLE AS TO PERMIT A MOVEMENT OF SAID FRAME SUFFICIENTLY FOR EFFECTIVE CONTROL OF THE STEERING OF SAID BOAT. 